Reinforcing device for concrete structures



G. A. SMITH. r REINFORCING DEVICE FOR CONCRETE STRUCTURES. APPLICATION FlLED SEPT. 20. 1919,-

1,331,288. Patented Feb.17,192o.

-a h y/ /C'dz l/Z a' GEORGE ALBERT SMITH, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

REINZEORCING DEVICE FOR CONCRETE STRUCTURES.

Application filed September 20, 1919.

r'0 all who/n 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE ALBERT SMITH, a British subject, and resident of the city of Toronto, in the county of York and Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reinforcing Devices for Concrete Structures; and I 'hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to concrete structures, such as walls, building blocks, and the like, reinforced by rods, bars, or other elements of a like nature, embedded in the concrete mixture, and the object of my invention is to so devise these elements that any number of them may be set in the mold or form prior to the concrete mixture beingl placed therein and maintained in their set position within the mold or form by the pressure they exert against its sides.

In carrying out the invention the reinforcing elements are set end to end and a spring is interposed between their adjacent ends to press them asunder, and cause their outer ends to impinge on and exert such pressure against the sides of the mold or form as to maintain the elements in their set position before and while the concrete is being placed in the mold or form, as hereinafter set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l, is a sectional elevational view showing the erection of a concrete wall,

Fig. 2, is a sectional elevational view of a reinforcing element composed of a pair of bars or rods set end to end, a spring interposed between their adjacent ends, and a casing for the spring,

Fig. 3, is a detail View of the inner end of one of the bars or rods, shown in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4i, is a similar view to Fig. 3 of the outer end.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the specification and drawings.

In the erection of concrete walls, a form or mold comprising two vertical sides a, a', is employed, and the reinforcing elements a for the concrete mixture are set transversely of the form or mold to impinge against the sides a, a.

In Fig. 1, I have shown three of these Specification of Letters Patent. j

Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

Serial No. 325,219.

reinforcing elements within the mold or form placed one vertically above the other in perpendicular alinement, but they may be set in any other relation.

In order to maintain the reinforcing elcments in their set position in the form or mold, I make each of them in two parts Z), b, set end to end with an intervening linterval c between their adjacent or inner ends, in each of which is formed a recess d, cl', to receive the extremities of a helical spring e. This spring is slightly greater in length than that of the interval c, and is preferably inclosed by a casing or sleeve f, which overlaps the inner ends of the parts Z), to prevent the concrete entering between its convolutions.

The outer ends /L of the parts Z), t, are tapered as shown in Figs. l and 2, to reduce their contact surface with the sides a, a, and to provide for the outer ends of the reinforcing elements being incased or covered substantially for their whole cross-sectional area with the concrete mixture alongthe surfaces of the wall.

For a wall twelve inches in width, I employ a reinforcing element constructed as above, in which the parts b, are each about ve inches in length and about one inch square in cross section, with the outer ends tapered to about `one-eighth of an inch square. In the inner ends of the parts L, b', I form the recesses d, el, each approximately one-half to 'u'e-eighths of an inch in diameter and about one-quarter of an inch in depth, to receive the spring c, which is of corresponding diameter, and about three inches in length. This necessitates the spring being contracted to about two and one-half inches in length when placing the parts of the reinforcing element in position and enables the spring to exert a corresponding pressure on the parts b, b', and force their outer ends into engagement with the sides a, a, of the form or mold and thus hold the reinforcing element in its set position before and while the concrete is being placed therein.

When reinforcing elements g, g, are employed they are arranged transversely of the parts b, b', in which are formed apertures or slots b3, b4, for these transverse reinforcing elements to pass through.

In the case, however, of concrete building blocks it may or may not be necessary to use the reinforcing elements g, g, and in the latter case they, and the apertures or slots b3, Z145 may be omitted.

` Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure byV Letters Patent is: Y

l. A reinforcing device for concrete structures comprising a reinforcing element,V consisting of two parts set end to end, and a spring inserted between the adjacent ends of said parts to spread them asunder.

2. A reinforcing device for concrete struc tures comprising a reinforcing element, consisting of two parts set end to end, a spring inserted between the adjacent ends of said partsto spread them asnnder, and a casing for the spring overlapping the adjacent ends of said parts. Y

3. A reinforcing device for concrete structures comprising al reinforcing element, consisting of two parts set end to end, a spring inserted between the adjacent ends of said parts to spread them asunder, and reinforcing elements inserted transversely through the first mentioned reinforcing element.

4:. A reinforcing device for concrete structures comprising a reinforcing element, consisting ,of two parts set end to end, a spring inserted between the adjacent endsof said parts to spread them asnnder, a casingfor the spring overlapping the adj acent-ends of said parts, and reinforcing-elements inserted transversely through the first mentioned reinforcing element.

Toronto, September 3rd, 1919.

GEORGE ALBERT SMITH.

Signed in the presence of--V CEAS. I-LBICHES, W. J. GILCHRIST. 

